OWS is a different animal

[colby]

I've been doing my OWS practice swims with a kayaker, which helps me feel more secure. As long as I can see the kayaker and spot where I'm going, I feel better. We have BRIGHT RED kayaks and try to stick to the end of the lake, so at least we have a chance against the skiers and wakeboarders. The wakeboarders seem to be the ones that circle the perimeter of the lake the most.

It always feels so nice to swim in a pool after open water. I feel so smooth, and I don't feel like my technique sucks as much as it seems to in open water. I'm still debating the wetsuit, I really appreciate the warmth and buoyancy but it's a little strange on my arms and I don't know if it's worth the effort to get off for a sprint -- on the other hand, I'm trying to get used to swimming in it, so all of my OW swims have been in it. I too have a tri on July 15th, so I have another ~2 weeks to decide.

[Torrilin]

You can (if your pool is set up for it) simulate an open water swim by swimming loops rather than laps. From having done open water swimming, pool loops and laps, laps are a *lot* easier. You get a bit of a break on every turn. The pool where I learned to swim had upper level swimming students do pool loops as part of the final tests to make *sure* the students were really drown proofed. It was exhausting, just like the lake swimming I've done.

Expect to be hungrier after, and if you're practicing open water swim in a lake or unheated pool do *not* swim alone. It's possible for the water to be cold enough to give you hypothermia even in the middle of summer (learned that one the hard way).